Mayor Eric Adams of New York City declared a "War on Rats" at the opening comments of the inaugural Urban Rat Summit on Wednesday.

NYC Eric Adams Fight With Rodents.nPhoto byNYC Mayor Eric Adams From X (Twitter)

There will be politicians and scientists from communities all throughout the United States and Canada attending the two-day event, which is taking place at Pier 57 in Manhattan.

Three million rats are thought to reside in New York City, according to MMPC, a pest management business. Rats can also spread the illnesses salmonellosis, leptospirosis, hantavirus, and rat bite fever to human populations, according to the National Park Service.

Mayor Eric Adams Prioritized The Mitigation of Rats

During his administration, New York City Mayor Eric Adams prioritized the mitigation of rats, appointing Kathleen Corradi as the Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation in April 2023. In Harlem, Adams also created a fourth "Rat Mitigation Zone" the previous year.

Commissioner Jessica Tisch of the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is releasing another weapon in the "war on rats": she intends to containerize the 14 billion pounds of waste the city produces yearly, putting an end to the "all-you-can-eat rat buffet."

The Big Apple's rodent infestation is described by Mayor Adams as a "real quality of life issue." In his opening remarks on Wednesday, he stated that he has been in discussions with municipal officials worldwide who have comparable concerns.